Darning horn



Mar- 6, B. M. GINGLES DARNING HORN Fi led Man. as, 1922 Patented Mar. 6,1923.

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BELLE M. cameras, or wnnKnsI-m, isconsin.

DARNING HORN.

Application filed Marc1r28, 1922.v Serial No. 547,432.

To all whom it mag concern. j

Be 1t known that I, BELLE M.,Gn\snus, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Waukesha, in the county of Vi aukesha and 5 State ofViliscons n, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDarning Horns; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact descrip tion thereof. ,My invention refers to darninghorns or bulbs, and it has for its primary object to provide a simple,economical and durable 'one piece yieldable bulb, the surface of whichis unobstructed, whereby the darning needle, when in use, will not bedulled by coming in contact with a hard surface, and whereby the bulbsurface will cushion under pressure ofthe needle so as to produce a neatand symmetrical darning patch.

Another object of my invention is to pro vide a one piece rubber bulb,which serves the purpose'of anordinary horn, the bulb being providedwith a neck extension, which extension at its junction with the bulb, istaperedlyreinforced in opposite directions to prevent undue flexure ofthe bulb with relation to itsv neckor shank.

. Another object ofmy invention is to pro-.

vide a detachable handle in connection with 80 the bulb shank havingmeans at its opposite end for the reception of a minute yield--able-rubberjbulb for use in working upon smaller articles of wear.

My invention, as stated above, is particularly directed to a pliablebulb or sphere for darning, wherein the entire spherical surface isunobstructed to permit operation of the needle at approximately anypoint within the bulb surface, exceptat the shank extension thereof.

It is an essential feature, therefore, that the bulb shall be formedwith a continuous oruninterrupted surface, for the reason that if a twopiece bulb, for example, be produced for darning purposes, a brokenjoint or bead would necessarily occur at some point intersecting thebulb surface and the thickened bead or joint, thus developed, woulddefeat the object of the invention for the reason that a needleoperating at this thickened point would be obstructed in its passage andeither dulled or, broken off, should the point be imbedded into saidhead.

Hence in practice, such a possible construction would notperforin thefunctionsor accomplish the desired results attained. in my improvedstructure.

/l/ iththe above objects in vieug'the invention consists in certainpeculiarities of construction and combination of parts as arehereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying illustrationand subsequently claimed. 7

The drawing illustrates an elevation of a darning bulb embodying thefeatures of my invention, with parts broken away and other parts insection tomore clearly show details of construction.

Referring by reference characters to the drawings 1 represents a rubberbulb formed in elliptical or egg shape, the hollow bulb being providedwith a vent l. The thickness of the bulb it will be noted, is a mini mumat its up er or outer end and gradually increasesas the lower end of thebulb approached.

It is understood that while I have exemplified an elliptical bulb,obviously the shape or dimensions may be varied indefinitely, providedthe outer suriacc of the bulb is uninterrupted and curvilinear.

@ne end of the bulb has extended there from, a hollow neck or shank 2,which neck terminates with a circular head 2. At the pointof'intersection between the walls of the bulb and the neck, the rubbermaterial is thickened, as indicated at X, and from this maximumthickened portion, the material is gradually tapered off in bothdirections and merged into the surface of the bulb and neckrespectively, to thus form a reinforced shoulder, whereby side flexureof the bulb with relation to the neck is resisted to a more or lessdegree, to thus prevent the bulb from buckling with relation to thehandle when the device is used in darning.

A handle 3 of any suitable material is provided, which handle terminatesat its upper end with a crowned. finger 3 that is snugly fitted into thebore of the neck. The finger terminates with an annular groove 3" fornested engagement with the bead 2' of the aforesaid neck. Hence by thisrigid coupling connection, the parts are firmly held in place.

, While I have preferably described wooden handle in connection with thebulb, obviously in some instances I may mold the bulb and handle in oneoperation from rubber material, the handle being suitably vulprovidedwith. a grooved finger or head for interchangeable adjustment thereto ofbulbs of different dimensions, in which case the opposite or lower endof the handle could 'be made in any suitable plain design.

[It is to be noted that the outer end of the bulb as previously pointedout, is the thinnest portion. This portion is used for certain kinds ofdarningwhere a slight give in the bulb is desirable. As the lowerportion of the bulb is approached the walls become thicker as pointedout, and this offers an increased resistance todistort-ion by the sewingneedle and consequently offers, therefore, a harder surface. It isfurther to be noted that the socket 2 merges into the lower portion ofthe bulb by means of a thickened portion as indicated at X. This gives,therefore, maxinuun strength at a point adjacent the handle and thussecures a very firm anchoring of the main body of the bulb to thehandle.

A further feature is due to the peculiar construction of plug 3', sockettherefor, and vent hole 1'. may be desirable to maintain the air withinthe bulb at aslightly increased pressure Under certain conditions itsuch structural features within the scope of the appended claims as theywillhereinafter be interpreted by those skilled'in' the art.

I claim: r 1. A darning horn eomprisinga one piece rubber-bulb having aneck extending therefrom, said bulb being thinnest adjacent at its outerend and graduallyincreasing in thickness towards the neck portion, said.neck portion'being Ofmaterially increased thickness and a handleiitted-within said neck portion, whereby a'gradually decreasingflexibility is securedlfrom theouter portion of the bulb towards theneck portion. 2. A darning horn comprising a onepiece. bulb having acontinuous uninterrupted outer surfaceand having a wall thicknessgradually increasing extent from its outer end towards its innerend,,the inner end of said bulb. being of materially increased thicknessand having a socket therein provided with a vent communicating with theinterior of said bulb, a handle provided with a plug-adapted to fit intosaid socket and to force air from said socket through said vent and intosaid bulb, whereby the air pressure within said bulb may be maintainedabove atmospheric air pressure. c

In testimonythat Ielaimthe foregoing 1 have hereunto set my. hand atMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of' Wisconsin.

- BELLE oINeLEs.

